The Right To Go To School

“Every kid with a disability has a right to go to school.”

These past few weeks the presidential race has been front and center. With the RNC last week and the DNC just finishing, there was a plethora of speeches from people on both sides of the isle. Everybody can relate to some of what Hillary Clinton said last night. In fact, something she said is almost a motto to live by. Here is excerpt from her speech below.

I went to work for the Children’s Defense Fund, going door-to-door in New Bedford, Massachusetts on behalf of children with disabilities who were denied the chance to go to school.

I remember meeting a young girl in a wheelchair on the small back porch of her house. She told me how badly she wanted to go to school – it just didn’t seem possible. And I couldn’t stop thinking of my mother and what she went through as a child.

It became clear to me that simply caring is not enough. To drive real progress, you have to change both hearts and laws. You need both understanding and action.
So we gathered facts. We built a coalition. And our work helped convince Congress to ensure access to education for all students with disabilities.

It’s a big idea, isn’t it? Every kid with a disability has the right to go to school.

But how do you make an idea like that real? You do it step-by-step, year-by-year… sometimes even door-by-door.

And my heart just swelled when I saw Anastasia Somoza on this stage, representing millions of young people who – because of those changes to our laws – are able to get an education.

It’s true… I sweat the details of policy – whether we’re talking about the exact level of lead in the drinking water in Flint, Michigan, the number of mental health facilities in Iowa, or the cost of your prescription drugs.

Because it’s not just a detail if it’s your kid – if it’s your family. It’s a big deal. And it should be a big deal to your president.

Hillary Continues:

Police officers and fire fighters who run toward danger. Doctors and nurses who care for us. Teachers who change lives….

Education, Education, Education…

James Stanfield Company isn’t political and we don’t analyze the debates, however when someone says something that strikes a cord, we listen. Just as other speakers from previous nights of the convention did, Clinton highlighted her work for the Children’s Defense Fund, such as advocating on behalf of students with disabilities in Massachusetts, and how this led to changes in legal protections for those children. Hillary Clinton also adopted one of Bernie Sanders most popular proposals: free tuition at public colleges. “During the primary campaign, Secretary Clinton and I both focused on this issue but with different approaches,” the Vermont senator noted. “Recently, however, we have come together on a proposal that will revolutionize higher education in America. It will guarantee that the children of any family [in] this country with an annual income of $125,000 a year or less — 83 percent of our population — will be able to go to a public college or university tuition-free. That proposal also substantially reduces student debt.”

Regardless of your political beliefs, take a moment and think about what’s best for the future of our education system. Time Magazine, NPR, and EdWeek all have written fantastic articles about education in the new presidency. We strongly encourage everybody to do their homework! Research what each candidate wants and proposes and make a decision based on that.